Dispenser for comminuted material



Oct. 11, 1966 T. KOKEISL 3,273,091

DISPENSER FOR COMMINUTED MATERIAL Filed Jan. '7, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 a 155 I? T Theodor Kokeisl INVE N TOR.

' (Rfiz y I film AGENT.

Oct. 11, 1966 T. KOKEISL DISPENSER FOR COMMINUTED MATERIAL 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. '7, 1965 IHHH UV I Theodor Kokeis/ IN VE N TOP.

United States Patent 3,278,091 DISPENSER FOR CUMMINUTED MATERIAL Theodor Kokeisl, Zurlinderstrasse 21, Aarau, Switzerland Filed Jan. 7, 1965, Ser. No. 424,052 Claims. (Cl. 222-495) This invention relates to containers provided with one or more bottom extensions for receiving and dispensing loose material in measured quantities, for instance food in powdered form, such as flour, fine sugar, etc., each extension comprising a funnel-shaped portion with a stop member and a dispensing device.

There has previously been devised an arrangement of this type with a plate, disposed below the dispensing funnel, on which a rotatable cone projecting into the funnel and a bent arm are provided. An arrangement is also known in which annular chambers disposed one over another are provided on the dispensing funnel, the chambers having apertures through which the material to be dispensed is passed by means of vane wheels. For discharging from silo-bins, bunkers or the like through a central opening it has become known to provide, around this opening and above the bottom of the container, sliding cutter rails extending radially from the central opening to the walls of the container.

The problem underlying the invention is to prevent in arrangements of the initially mentioned type the depositing of parts of loose material on the walls of the funnelshaped body as well as the formation of bridges in the loose material, and to make it possible to take from the container or the funnel-shaped bottom portion loose material in very fine measured quantities, without thereby raising dust in any quantity worth mentioning.

According to the invention it is proposed to have rotatably supported in the downwardly converging axial bore of the funnel-shaped body an annular solid of revolution provided with a stirring element whose inside pe riphery is faired into the periphery of the adjacent portions of the funnel without constriction of the cross-sectional area, the annular solid of revolution being connected with a driving device.

In contrast to the arrangements known heretofore, in which the stirring rod is arranged on a shaft coaxially passing through the funnel-shaped bottom portion, the embodiment in accordance with the invention has the advantage that the cross-sectional area of the funnel is not constricted for the passage of the loose material so that a free, unhindered discharge of the loose material is ensured. Moreover, the construction according to the invention has the further advantage that with it, also with very small dimensioning of the gearing parts, very big torques can be transmitted.

The accompanying drawing shows by way of example one preferred embodiment of the invention. In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of a container extension acording to my invention; and

FIG. 2 is a horizontal section taken on the line lI--II of FIG. 1.

According to the example illustrated, a funnel-shaped bottom portion of a dispenser for comminuted material is divided, by a horizontal parting line, into two parts 1 and 2 between which an intermediate piece 3 is inserted, this piece being designed as a mounting ring having supported therein, by means of a ball bearing 5, an annular solid of revolution 4 coaxial to the vertical axis AA of the funnel 1, 2. The frustoconical wall surface 2:! of lower part 2 forms a continuation of the similarly shaped wall 1a of upper part 1. Seated on the solid of revolution 4 is a worm gear 6 meshing with a worm 7 "ice which is supported in the intermediate piece 3. An electric motor 8 flanged to the piece 3 serves for driving the worm 7.

The intermediate piece 3 has at the top an externably threaded neck 9, and at the bottom the funnel part 1 has an externally threaded sleeve 10 rotatably supported thereon but secured against axial displacement. By means of said threaded sleeve 10 the piece 3 can be detachably mounted on funnel part 1. Another similarly internally threaded sleeve 11 is rotatably supported below on piece 3 and likewise secured against axial displacement. By means of sleeve 11 the intermediate piece 3 can be screwed onto part 2 which, for this purpose, is likewise provided with an externally threaded neck 12, the two threaded necks 9 and 12 having the same diameter and the same pitch, as have also the sleeves 10 and 11. The annular solid of revolution 4 is sealed by means of two rings 13, 14 with respect to the intermediate piece 3 so that no loose material can enter the ball bearing 5 and the gearing 6, 7.

Fixed to the inner wall surface of the annular solid of rotation is a stirring rod 15 whose parts 15a and 15b extend, over substantially the full length of the axial bore of the funnel 13, substantially parallel to the funnel walls 1a and 2a and only at a slight distance therefrom. Downwards the stirring rod 15 is extended and in such a way that its lower end crosses the vertical axis AA of the funnel-shaped body 1, 2. The annular solid of revolution 4, centered on the axis AA, is so dimensioned that its inner diameter D is substantially equal to the discharge diameter D of the funnel part 1, so that practically the cross-sectional area of flow of the funnel body undergoes no constriction in the region of the intermediate piece 3; the latter is shown to be cylindrical, with an inside diameter D equal to D and D Thus, the elements 1, 4, 3 and 2 form a continuous, progressively constricted peripheral surface down to the lower end of the frustoconical surface 2a of tunnel part 2. Part 2 of the funnel-shaped body has a zone 17 of enlarged crosssectional area, outwardly recessed from the sliding path 2:1 for the loose material, the recess :17 being closed by a porous filter element 16 which, for instance, consists of pumice stone. Behind filter element 16 the recess 17 defines a chamber to Which a gaseous medium, say, air, may be applied under pressure. Further, part 2 has connected to it a discharge funnel 13 whose discharge opening 19 can be closed by means of a flap 20. Through a linkage (not shown) said iiap is connected with a lever 21 which is provided with a. handle 22 and a pushbutton 23. By means of this pushbutton, admission of compressed air to the chamber 17 and the filter element 16 can be controlled.

On actuation of the pushbutton 23, compressed air flows through the porous filter element 16 into the comminuted charge, thus loosening same and, upon rocking the lever 21 and opening the flap 20, a finely dosed emptying of the charge is possible. According to requirements, in the case of a comminuted material which tends to heavy bridge-building and depositing on the sliding surfaces of the funnel, the electric motor 8 can be energized and thus the solid of revolution 4 with the stirring rod 15 started to rotate, whereby the stirring rod clears the slide walls of the funnel-shaped lower part 2, destroys possible bridgings in the loose material and thus enables free, unhindered discharge thereof.

This free flow-out and also the finely dosed discharging is ensured merely by the stirring rod in the case of loose material of coarser granulation, while in the case of finely granulated material, for fine dosage, compressed air may additionally be blown in through the filter element 16 for additional loosening of the material.

Since the threaded necks 9 and 12 together with the matin-gly threaded sleeves 110 and 11 are alike, it is also possible to take out or omit altogether the intermediate piece 39 and to have part 2 connected direct to part 1 by means of the sleeve 10. This is of interest in those cases in which the blowing-in of compressed air through the porous element 16 suffices to ensure very finely dosed dispensing of the loose material.

In the example shown, the annular solid of revolution 4 has only one stirring rod mounted thereon. Alternatively, it is of course possible to provide several such stirring rods and to have these designed and arranged in a way different from that shown.

It is of course also possible to have the funnel-shaped container extension 1, 2 constructed in one part and to support the annular solid of revolution 4 directly therein, in which case the mounting ring 3 might be dispensed with.

Moreover, instead of the porous filter element 16, one or more nozzle-like apertures could be provided through which some liquid or finely divided granular substances might be trained upon the loose mate-rial.

Further, it might conceivably be possible to have the pushbutton 23 designed in such a way that with it the electric motor 8 could be turned on and ofif and its speed regulated.

What I claim is:

1. A dispenser forming a bottom extension for a container, adapted for the discharge of a comminuted material therefrom, comprising a funnel-shaped body with a downwardly converging axial bore, said body including an upper part and a lower part each with a frustoconical inner wall surface, the wall surface of said lower part forming a continuation of the wall surface of said upper part, an annular element centered on the funnel axis and mounted for rotation therearound between said parts, said annular element having an inner periphery defining with the adjoining frustoconical wall surfaces of said upper and lower parts a continuous peripheral surface progressively constricted in a downward direction to a level below said element, stirrer means rigid with said element in said bore, and drive means for rotating said element together with said stirrer means about said axis.

2. A dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said body further includes an intermediate ring interposed between said parts and detachably connected thereto, said annular element being supported on said intermediate ring.

3. A dispenser as defined in claim 2 wherein said parts are respectively provided with mating internal and external threads, said ring having complementary external and internal threads whereby said parts can be directly interconnected upon removal of said ring.

4. A dispenser as defined in claim 3 wherein said ring and one of said parts are provided with relatively rotatable sleeves axially projecting therefrom and carrying the internal threads thereof.

5. A dispenser as defined in claim 2 wherein said drive means includes a worm mounted on said ring and a worm gear rigid with said annular element engaged by said worm.

6. A dispenser as defined in claim 2 wherein said ring has a cylindrical inner periphery, said annular element having a like cylindrical inner periphery registering with that of said ring.

7. A dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said stirrer means comprises an elongated rod extending over substantially the full length of said bore in close proximity to said frustoconical wall surfaces.

8. A dispenser as defined in claim 7 wherein said rod crosses said axis underneath the frustoconical wall surface of said lower part.

9. A dispenser as defined in claim 1 wherein said lower part is formed with an annular peripheral recess below its frustoconical wall surface, further comprising inlet means terminating at said recess for emitting a fluid stream into said bore.

10. A dispenser as defined in claim 9, further comprising annular filter means interposed between said inlet means and said bore.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,914,162 6/1933 Plumley 2'22411 X 2,500,698 3/ 1950 Mills 222-411 FOREIGN PATENTS 461,024 2/ 1937 Great Britain.

95,427 12/ 1959 Norway.

ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

HADD S. LANE, Examiner. 

1. A DISPENSER FORMING A BOTTOM EXTENSION FOR A CONTAINER, ADAPTED FOR THE DISCHARGE OF A COMMINUTED MATERIAL THEREFROM, COMPRISING A FUNNEL-SHAPED BODY WITH A DOWNWARDLY CONVERGING AXIAL BORE, SAID BODY INCLUDING AN UPPER PART AND A LOWER PART EACH WITH A FRUSTOCONICAL INNER WALL SURFACE, THE WALL SURFACE OF SAID LOWER PART FORMING A CONTINUATION OF THE WALL SURFACE OF SAID UPPER PART, AN ANNULAR ELEMENT CENTERED ON THE FUNNEL AXIS AND MOUNTED FOR ROTATION THEREAROUND BETWEEN SAID PARTS, SAID ANNULAR ELEMENT HAVING AN INNER PERIPHERY DEFINING WITH THE ADJOINING FRUSTOCONICAL WALL SURFACES OF SAID UPPER AND LOWER PARTS AND CONTINUOUS PERIPHERAL SURFACE PROGRESSIVELY CONSTRICTED IN A DOWNWARD DIRECTION TO A LEVEL BELOW SAID ELEMENT, STIRRER MEANS RIGID WITH SAID ELEMENT IN SAID BORE, AND DRIVE MEANS FOR ROTATING SAID ELEMENT TOGETHER WITH SAID STIRRER MEANS ABOUT SAID AXIS. 